The game's developer CCP announced today that starting in November, EVE Online will be a free-to-play game for all.

Going forward, EVE Online will include two of what it calls "clone states." The first, called the Alpha Clone State, will be a new base state for any user to train and use skills, and be saved for new users or those who are returning to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

The Omega Clone State, on the other hand, will feature unlimited access to the game's skills and other features and will act just as it does now for subscribers.

EVE Online dates back to 2003 and allows users to participate in a wide range of professions to make money and grow their presence in the online environment. They can also interact with other users, but making the game free could help EVE Online grow its userbase even more. Perhaps most importantly for CCP, it could create a new revenue stream for those who want access to Omega or are trading in the game's currency.

Still, CCP was quick to allay any fears users might have with opening the floodgates. CCP said it has thought seriously about the impact of this move and believes it's ready to take on that challenge.

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"As you know, EVE is a very special game," the game's developer wrote. "Our single shared server means that every player truly affects every other, whether through economics, resource gathering, direct combat or bad posting. This in turn means that our universe is more interesting, more exciting and more dangerous with each additional citizen.

"Just like you, we've known this for a long time and, just like you, we've been doing everything we can to bring more people into our spectacular sandbox," CCP added.

In anticipation for the November launch, CCP says that it has upgraded its servers and infrastructure and made enhancements to game's code to get it ready for what could be a massive influx of new users "EVE is ready for this," the company said.

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